May 11, 2024 • 51 mins
Jason loses his mind as his Knicks take Game 1 against the Pacers. Jason also wears the Knicks losing Game 3 to the Pacers. We got a special edition of ‘playoff press-conferences gone wild. Plus, NBA Insider Ric Bucher joins the show!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to the best of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Carmen podcast. Be sure to catch us
live every weeknight from ten pm to two am Eastern
seven to eleven pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. Find
your local station for The Jason Smith Show with Mike
Harmon at Fox Sports Radio dot com, or stream us
live every night on the iHeartRadio app by searching FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
This is the best of The Jason Smith Show with
Mike Harmon on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Fox Sports Radio The Jason Smith Show with My best
friend Mike Harmon. Minute and a half left to go.
The Knicks lead the Pacers one twenty four to one eighteen.
The Pacers trying to deny the basketball to Jalen Brunson.
They're able to get it across half court. Dante DiVincenzo
hits a huge three to give the Knicks a lead.
(00:51):
But now the Pacers use a little bit of strategy
to kind of get back in the game. Here a
little bit. Uh, you saw a world class flop by
Halliburton that got them to the free throw line.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
No, no, no, shivered him in the stop. Come on,
don't go back and go back and watch it. Nicks.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Don't just be opposite me just because you feel like it,
because you sound foolish. He fell down, Yes, he put
his arm up. He fell down. It was a world
class flop. I'm not saying it wasn't a great play.
It was a great play because it put him on
the free throw line, one twenty four to one eighteen.
Now they're just there's a discrepancy at half court. The
referees look like they called a double dribble on Isaiah
(01:28):
Hartenstein as the Knicks are trying to get the ball
across half court. Rick Carlyle is screaming at the official
because it looks like they brought the call back. Now
I'm watching the replay and it looks like he's dribbling again.
I don't know what the call. It looked like it
was double dribble. He tried to make that and tried
to make that sign, but then they looked at it
and said it wasn't. Carlile is upset. But it's still
(01:51):
a six point lead for the Knicks with a minute
ten left to go. I mean, every time the Knicks
have the ball, I'm outside my mind because I'm like,
oh my god, they don't have it, James Brunton. Is
he gonna be able to keep hitting shots like this?
Is he gonna keep making it? Can they keep getting
offensive rebounds like they do? And they have, and they
keep getting them, and they keep holding onto the ball
and they keep possession. And I'm just saying to myself,
(02:13):
the Pacers have to be saying, why don't you just die? Why?
Speaker 3 (02:20):
Hog stick legs like the Energizer Bunny.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
I mean, how how can you Why can't you just die?
They're gonna keep possession on this play because it's off
the Pacers out of bound Like it's like, we're doing
everything we can. You're losing players. Jalen Brunston had to
sit out an entire quarter. Why won't you die? We
keep doing everything there, this has to do it. No,
the Knicks keep sitting up like Michael Myers at the
(02:44):
end of Halloween. It just keeps happening, is I mean it?
This is such a fun series to watch, It's such
a fun team. And I'll tell you, man, you can
cancel the rest of the players. Just keep giving me
Nick Pacers games. I don't think anybody else in the
NBA would disagree. I think they they would sign up
for like fifteen of these games because they're just so
much fun.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
You just included the Pacers in.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
That because it's fun, because the pain team the next
can beat Mike. Look, Look, it's it's look, it's it's
a case of look, the Pacers are fun. Reggie Miller's
in the house, the Boogeyman is there. Nick's Pacers brings
everybody back to the nineties. Everybody at least in their
forties who watch basketball remembers us. And it was fun
and I was younger and thinner, and I could run
(03:25):
all day and I could eat whatever I wanted to
and not gain any weight. No, it's a big throwback, man,
this is what it is. You know who's loving this game?
Who's more than the next the so justin well, yeah, listen, look,
we talked about that. The Celtics have to be saying,
all right, if we don't get to the finals and
win this year, we're never gonna do it. Right. Suddenly
(03:45):
there's a ton of pressure on the South Shore because
instead of hey, we're the best team, we should prove
ourselves and win. It's dude, the door is wide open,
notches one door. It's French doors. French doors that open
up to a backyard filled with a pool and trees
and some kind of there's cricket bats everywhere and you
can play lawn bowling. And this is the French doors
(04:07):
wide open for the Celtics to get to the finals
and win because in the West, you can tell for
some of these teams. Look, Minnesota and Oklahoma City is
gonna be a rock fight for seven games if they
wind up playing. You see the energy that's expended by
some of these squads getting through and the Celtics. I
don't know that any of them have taken a shower
in the last two weeks. I know they've had to
go through and I still smell pretty good. Didn't you sweat?
(04:29):
Now we won that game one thirteen to seventy two. Oh,
you're right, I really I don't think any of them
have bathed because they haven't had to because only bathed
and I'm dirty, and no, I still smell pretty good.
All the pressure in the world is on the Celtics
because they should get there and they should win, like
this is their year suddenly.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
Well that's the thing, though, It's been there for a while,
right because they ran away with the Eastern Conference and
it becomes the like the Dodgers every year, we do
the same thing, right, all right, this is great in May,
and we enjoy the moments, right, you enjoy the wins,
the Otani runs and whatever else. It's all great. Doesn't
matter till you get October, because that's what you're playing for.
(05:05):
With the Celtics, after last year, coming into the season,
it was the should they break them up? Should Missoula
have been fired? All of that was coming off of
that playoff run. So as you get into these rounds
and you're watching the attrition and the Knicks falling one
by one and whether they're available or not, and these
(05:26):
guys killing themselves for forty eight minutes then and with
Cleveland made Jared Allen, is he ever going to be
cleared to play? I don't know. I mean that's a
guy that was what sixteen and eleven or something like
that that isn't there. You don't have a force in
the middle. So yeah, you're walking through even with porzingis sidelined.
The expectation is that it's you're at least in the
(05:49):
finals and then whatever comes from there. But yeah, certainly
for the Celtics, it's been that for a long time,
as soon as Doc Rivers got hired and the Bucks
started to fall off off. See what I did there?
Speaker 1 (06:01):
I see, I see what you did him off the
hook there. It's it's it's not Doc's fault, right, remember,
no matter what, it is, not Doc's fault. Hurt, Lillard
gets hurt, all of that stuff. But you know, uh,
and now we have just seen a big I wouldn't
say a reversal of fortune, because the Knicks are now
up one twenty seven, one eighteen with thirty three seconds left.
(06:23):
We have seen Brunson make a floater for an eight
point lead, and now he is shooting technicals because Rick
Carlyle has just been ejected. Rick Carlisle got ejected. He
was upset over the officials taking back the double dribble call,
which still he was harping on. He's on the court
and he's clapping in the official's face. Now at this point, look,
(06:46):
the Knicks are up by seven, there's thirty five seconds
left to go, but he's sitting there clapping in the
officials face. And I don't care what you do when
you when you clap in the officials face, you're gonna
get ejected.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
That's what you've had enough. His guys actually hit some
frea throws earlier in the quarter, it might have been
a little different game. They missed their first five in
the fourth quarter. But I think the point he was
trying to make was how come we can review this
in real time, but I can't get this kickball thing overturned. Yeah,
I mean, let's be consistent here, fellas. That's all we're
(07:18):
asking for.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
You know what, what do I say the Pacers? Look,
they focused too much on that after the first game,
and now they're going to focus on the officiat again
because I'm sure they're going to sit back and say, oh,
you know, if that if that was called a double dribble,
which I still don't know what Rick Carlile is yelling.
I'm sure we'll figure it out and in the break
we see more things happen. But I'm like, real, that's
you saying if you got that call, you don't won
(07:40):
the game. I mean, they really just just like, if
you got the call in game one, you would have won.
If if you had gotten the kickball, you would have won.
But I'm sure they're going to find a way to
figure out a way to say that I think he's
just really upset that his his acting career has gone
in the in the tank.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
That is true. He was really good in the Truman Show. Yeah,
I mean I watched that a little bit early herem Dummer.
I mean he had a good run he did.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
I mean, well, you had three hundred million dollar movies
in nineteen ninety four.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
The Mask, that's really good, you know.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
Josh Hart has just leaned over to talk to Reggie
Miller with twenty seconds left in the game, and there's
a timeout on the floor. I have no idea what
he said. Devincenzo is shooting free throws. Uh, but he
leaned over to say something to Reggie Miller.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
Again, we'll find out after the game. But I'll tell
you this has been some kind of last fourth quarter
by run by the Knicks here, because they're gonna win
this game and they're gonna be up two games to none,
and the Pacers are gonna walk away going what the
hell else do we have to do? Right? Like, that's it.
They're not fouling. The countdown is going on, Knicks are
going up to zip And before we get into any
(08:44):
more analysis, I just want to say.
Speaker 4 (08:46):
Go New York, New York Coat Co New York, New
York Coat Co New York, New York Coat one thirty
one twenty one is the final look at the Knicks.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
Okay, now we can get back to basketball analysis of
this game.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
Okay, go ahead, you feel good, you feel good, I
feel a wonderful.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
That I don't want to I don't want to overwhelm
you because this is going to be three and a
half hours of go New York, got New York, goat,
Go to York, go to you.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
We're not on in New York. Let's talk about other things.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
I'm pretty sure we are pretty sure York City. I'm
pretty sure on Channel Lady three serious ExM, we're on
across the company. Of course you should check it. See
where we're on, buddy, check it, see where we're Channel
Lady three serious accent. Let's just so you know that
you don't want to give a shout out, you know,
because we need that that local affiliate as well. Yeah. No,
and just and just trying to look at all the
things that are trending on Twitter. At the top Jalen Brunson,
(09:36):
The Knicks are at the top than their Survivor edge.
J McConnell, Rick, Carlyle Shack. I think maybe we got
Shack trending with our conversation a few minutes ago, so hey,
congrat check you out.
Speaker 4 (09:47):
Well.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
He also had that conversation with Jokic, saying I voted
in and Shay should have been MVP no offense, no offense,
but should have been.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
I just want to say for him, but look, this
is now a two games to none lead for the Knicks,
and if you are the pacer, let's let's think about
this in the pacer second case, we have a lot
to get to with Brunson and the Knicks and what
they're doing. Who knows if I don't know he's even
gonna be able to play. I don't even know. But
if you're if you're the pacer, you're saying, what do
we have to do? You're upset at the refs speak
(10:19):
for whatever the call you wanted on on Hartenstein, right,
but you're like, what do we have to do? Because
this was a game where we came out and we
did again what we wanted to do, especially since we
got a big game from Halliburton. What did he say
from him early?
Speaker 4 (10:35):
Right?
Speaker 1 (10:36):
Well, at least he's still thirty four and nine. He
was huge early. What did I tell you what's gonna happen?
He was gonna be out early. And I told you,
if if the Pacers get out to like a ten
to two, twelve to two lead, I'll be worried. But
if it's a game early, then I'm then I'm not
gonna be that concerned because this is where the Pacers
have to come out and if they're mad and they
(10:57):
throw the hammer down to the Knicks early and make
them play from behind, make them expend a lot of energy.
And they didn't, and the Knicks hung with them. But
if you're the Pacers, you're saying, okay at halftime, we
had everything going the way we wanted, right, we had
Halliburton cooking, we had our bench was going crazy, Obi
topping back in New York, was hitting threes.
Speaker 5 (11:15):
Right.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
TJ McConnell finished with ten and twelve assists and he's
strutting around like he's Alan iverson right, Like, yeah, this
is how good I am, dude, Your TJ McConnell, take
it easy. You had everything going, you had everything you needed.
And again in another game where you did what you wanted,
you made Jalen Brunson work as hard as he could.
You made the Knicks make as many shots as they could.
You made the Knicks have to play with five guys,
(11:37):
and then Andrew Noby's out for the for most of
the second half. You did everything you needed and still
you're going home down.
Speaker 3 (11:44):
Do you know what you forgot to do?
Speaker 1 (11:46):
You're going home. You're going to play defense. You forgot
to play defense. The Knick shot fifty.
Speaker 3 (11:51):
Seven percent from the field, fifty seven in a row. Yeah, exactly.
I'm now in the the Josh Hart, the hate that
America will have with him, like you love how hard
he works. He chirps an awful lot after every rebound. Yeah,
well he gets old after a while. Yeah, get him
(12:11):
back up the court. I can see that.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
But still playing forty eight minutes and going to day
maybe teld Reggie Miller, Hey, Reggie, go blake yourself. Well
that's exactly what he's everywhere.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
I'm glad that Fike Lee gave you those frame newspapers.
I'm glad you had your fun talking about coming back
and being this agitator and being on the call. Because
he wasn't originally assigned to this series, but they added
him for special effect. Mike Green off to him for
ratings because nobody's watching this?
Speaker 1 (12:39):
Are you kidding? Come on, man, come on, man, you can't.
This is the only series anybody cares about. This is it?
That's why? What kind of poll did you take?
Speaker 3 (12:47):
What?
Speaker 1 (12:48):
Dude? What games are you gonna put on the air
better than this? Hey, let's put three other games that
are thirty point blowouts on the air and people are
gonna watch the whole game. No one's gonna watch thirty
point blowouts are gonna be when you play the Celtics.
No one's going to watch the Nuggets unless you're gonna say, baby,
let's see what Jamal Murray throws on the court today.
How much you go back again for Annonoby's hamstring? Okay, dude,
it doesn't matter. You know he's gonna be out for
(13:08):
the playoffs. Come on, man, this is how it works
for the Knicks. Is you know he's gonna be out?
Come on?
Speaker 3 (13:14):
Why can't I have nice things? You had to break them.
I had to take them, I will tell you.
Speaker 2 (13:22):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern seven
pm Pacific Shuck Cluck.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
Town eight.
Speaker 6 (13:33):
Halliverrton double team shut cluck at four them Hert's gotta
put it up, step back his three putters.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
The heart knocks the three down, time out, next step
even he looked surprised he hit the shot. What are
you gonna do a game? I thought the Knicks are
gonna lose by twenty They should have won too many
offensive rebounds, too many misfree throws, and still they needed
them hard to make a knocking shot where he didn't
(14:01):
think it was going in, the smile on his face,
like they told him he was just won. Mister America.
They were putting the crown on his head. He's like,
can you believe I just made this shot? What are
you gonna do? What are you gonna do? Pacers win games? America?
There should be if you do I.
Speaker 3 (14:17):
America, mister Olympia and wait and bodybuilding.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
Is anybody nicknamed mister America?
Speaker 3 (14:24):
I don't know Captain America is coming back? Asked no,
but we know we have a captain.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
But like, mister, like, is mister America thing, because like
I think that could be a thing. No, there's not,
but that's what he looks like the look on his face.
Of course, there's mister America. Who's mister America? What's mister America?
When you live the bodybuilding champions, mister America? He is okay,
all right? So it's sometimes made me want to raffle.
(14:49):
Then that's what it is. It's the contestant big bodybuilding raffle.
I think that's mister Olympia. That's what Harmon's taught.
Speaker 3 (14:57):
That's why mister America is a thing. Okay, it is
a thing started in nineteen thirty nine, but.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
It's not on TV.
Speaker 3 (15:06):
I have heard, there's no I haven't heard that term
in a while, though, mister America.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
I don't think i've ever heard. What do you mister America?
I don't know. You guys gotta get out more. There
no know.
Speaker 3 (15:18):
I had did Joe Weeder books and everything growing up.
It was always, you know, the quest was from mister Olympic.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
Come on, man, I just witnessed an absolute miracle tonight
with the Pacers making that shot by Nembard with fifteen
seconds left in the game. Man, you mean this shot?
You say that's a miracle?
Speaker 6 (15:37):
Halliverrton double team shot clock at court them Mart's gotta
put it up, step back.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
Here's three quarters.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
The heart, not the three time out.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
Next season's over All I need is a miracle. All
I need it is what are you gonna do? What
are you gonna the big possession of the Knicks Pacers game.
It's tied, it's twelve seconds left. The Knicks do everything
they wanted to do. Haliburton picks up his dribble. He's
not getting the ball back. Nem Hard wants nothing to
do with this, but he has no choice because he
(16:08):
has the ball and the shot clock is ticking down,
and he's five feet behind the three point line, and
he makes a three, and I mean it. His face
looked like someone said, you and the winner of the
fifty to fifty raffle and it's gonna take on the
brand new bicycle is Andrew Dembard. Congratulations the random shot
the other day. Congratulations, I mean, congrat You looked like
(16:30):
a big shot contest winner.
Speaker 3 (16:32):
In the end. Is What is kind of entertaining is
if you look at the shot chart for the fourth
quarter for both squads, it's just a bunch of empty circles,
no shot making whatsoever. Right Jalen Brunson when he hit
that big three that was their fourth make of the
fourth quarter.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
Yeah, well, look there's a reason, and I'm going and
I'm gonna submit this electronic.
Speaker 3 (16:51):
They were tripping over their tongues.
Speaker 1 (16:52):
There were seventy eight non calls on the Pacers just
in the final four minutes of this game. There was
a great lear out where there were Hartenstein and there
were fourteen fouls by Sakam on one play that were
not called fourteen. I'm gonna submit this to the end.
Speaker 3 (17:10):
I mean, look, if it's only gonna cost you thirty
five grand, I think it's worth thirty five grand.
Speaker 1 (17:15):
I win. I gotta submit this out. I mean I
counted them. I got there's one. There's another one. There's
another one. There's another one. There's another one.
Speaker 3 (17:21):
Rus Now I'm obsessing over mister. Mister America's really bothering me.
But keep going, Jason. There's only one play that mattered
from tonight though. What's the one play for Rosburg?
Speaker 6 (17:30):
Shuck cluck down, Hey, CALLI marton double team shut clock
at court them Mart's gotta put it up step back
has three quarters, the hard knocks, the three down time out.
Speaker 4 (17:45):
Next.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
You're playing this like it's the butt fumble, the guy
made a mirror. Who lost to a bunch of nobody.
I think there's no the patient nobody. We lost to
nobody's we played then.
Speaker 3 (17:58):
Hold on though, hold on, you did actually have twenty
You outscored them.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
Run the bench, Alec Burks. All of a sudden, Hey,
we're gonna dust you off and you're gonna play some minutes.
Speaker 3 (18:06):
We didn't quite see that. Yeah, you got twenty four
points off the bench.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
Look, I'm fine. I'm not gonna complain about the officials
or any calls it did. It didn't happen, because, you
know what, the Knick should have won this game. I
thought it was altogether awful. They missed free throws down
the stretch, right, Brunton missed a big one. Josh Hart
missed a big one. How many offensive rebounds for the
Pacers on their final two possessions. Way too many? Right,
that's why thirteen for the game. When when you give
a guy enough chances, you can even get a miracle.
Speaker 3 (18:32):
The backtaps and all of that. I mean, Haliburton had
the ball, gets it off to Hart, who I don't
think they had any clue. How much time was left
on the shot Haliburton picked up at the top of
the key.
Speaker 1 (18:44):
Yeah, I know he was. It was done.
Speaker 3 (18:46):
There was no offensive set.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
What's say, Wow, we're gonna Nick, are gonna get the
ball back here with the chance to win the game
in regulation, but he makes it. What are you gonna do?
Speaker 3 (18:53):
I mean the Brunton's decision.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
To brunts. But look, this is a game the Knicks
should have lost by twenty. The Pacers should have won
this one going away. Should have sat there guys in
the fourth quarter who looked more tired the Knicks of
the Pacers. The Pacers did. The Knicks were playing a
couple more guys off the bench, and it comes down
to the end and they should have won, and they didn't.
And you needed a miracle shot to win, to proof
that there are miracles that still happen. Maybe that's the
(19:20):
ninth wonder in the world, right, King Kong is the
eighth wonder, Pyramids of the seventh Wonder, and Andrew dem
hard shot the ninth wonder of the world that he
makes that shot that he wanted absolutely no part of.
And the Pacers win, Well I did, they won. They won.
It's still a series, but they walk out a walk
away from this and going, oh yeah, we want to
feel great. You want to feel great, dude, you really
(19:43):
this is a game that you should have blown the
knicks out of the water on and still you almost
lost it, and you should have lost it. Congratulate your
coach all the complaining he did. You got calls you wanted.
You had a foul call overturned in the final minute.
There was a pretty big call you got, You got everything,
and you won. It's awesome. They won. It's a series. Okay,
we'll see you on Sunday. Well, we'll get ready for
(20:03):
game We'll get ready for Game four. I told you
I fully expect this to go back to New York.
Tied it to a piece. The pacers are good and here,
and I'll put my money where my mouth is if
I'm going to tell you Rick Carlisle is ridiculous for
complaining about the officials. I'm not going to complain about
any call that was or wasn't made the end of
this game, because you know what I look at. I
think of the two miss free throws, the offensive rebounds,
and Nembard's miracle three. That's what lost the game. It's
(20:25):
still complaint. Normal radio it's Friday night, ahead of the weekend.
Speaker 3 (20:29):
Empty the chambers because otherwise you're going to carry that
back to your family.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
No, you gotta.
Speaker 3 (20:34):
Leave it here on the air, with your online family
all across this globe on the iHeartRadio app, and your
family here in the studio.
Speaker 1 (20:42):
I am true to myself and and and and that's
because that's honestly how I feel. I'm not going to
look at one call like the Pacers are going, oh still,
we'd be up three nothing if they called the kickball
in game one.
Speaker 3 (20:52):
No, that's not the confusion line still is the was hevolved?
Did he tap it out of bounds? The thing where
they the jump ball like that? That review took forever,
and in the end, I don't think anybody really was clear.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
And the Knicks got the ball, so I mean it
really it didn't end up winning the tech and it move.
None of that mattered. This. This is what happens in
a game. I tipped my hat to the Pacers in
a game they had to win. They gutted it out.
I'm more proud of the Knicks because this is a
game they could have folded. And you can see that
they have the better hand and the better amount of play,
(21:27):
they are coach better, they pick things up better. Their players,
even though they're playing more minutes, are better, more well conditioned.
Maybe now Josh Hart can't sit out at all. Maybe
you got to play them all forty eight minutes? Come on,
so what have to happen? Can't sit them out now?
But look, they lost, they lost, they lost, and the
Pacers made a miracle shot. What am I gonna do?
That's how it goes. No congratulations, they won and it's
two one and it's a series. So okay.
Speaker 3 (21:48):
The physicality was off the charts, and so this is
one of those in terms of how many whistles you're
gonna swallow over the course of the game when you
got bodies flying everywhere, and even on the broadcast, so
kind of like, all right, they're gonna have to try
to find that that line of demarcation of what's just
good physical contact? This is, you know, because it came
(22:08):
out that the Knicks had more or less through every
back channel they could lodge their complaint. Now, no word
as to whether they had seventy eight calls mixed therein,
but certainly I'm still going to send to the But
they Still they clearly went out of their way because
you saw this from all of the the would be
uh experts in the punditry of the NBA saying, well,
(22:32):
through back channels, they're they're complaining about the contact that
Jalen Brunson takes on each play. It's like, you know what,
he initiates about eighty percent of it. So I don't know,
I don't know how much weight that holds. But that's fine,
and it's it's better than wasting your night instead of
sleeping or watching a Broadway play evaluating the seventy eighth
(22:52):
call that didn't go your way. Just say, in general, hey,
Jalen Brunson's getting his ask kicked down there. He needs
a little more consideration because he's a supert.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
Look, I'll tell you what I saw tonight. I see's
what I saw tonight, and I am stunned. The officials
let Tyrese Halliburton dribble the ball too forcefully down court
like he was. He really dribbled like he meant to
get down court, and you can't allow him to do that.
Speaker 3 (23:16):
He was trying to get down court, can't trying to burrow.
Speaker 1 (23:19):
They allowed him to get close to the basket for layups.
When you come on, man, you can't get that close
and not blow the up. You can't let that. I mean,
I'm watching every time, but there's a layup for Haliburt.
How do the officials let that happen? How do the
officials let no more or less? Tibodeau was on the
sideline yelling, how does he get a layup? We don't
give up layups? I mean, I mean, how does he how?
I mean, I don't understand.
Speaker 3 (23:39):
You don't have that many fouls to give understand have
that deeper rotation?
Speaker 1 (23:42):
I mean, I don't get it. I don't get I
mean Pascal Siakam really and and the thing with Pascal
Siakam all game holding the ball up high in the
post so nobody could grab it out of his hand.
How do the referees not call that? I really have
a referee not call that?
Speaker 3 (23:55):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (23:55):
To law, I don't get it. I don't get it.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
Your guy, Josh Hart another eighteen point effort. He did
only play forty three minutes, though, yeah, slacker, maybe he's
tied Slackert Vingenzo thirty five. He was absurd.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
Referees yelling while Hart and Brunson are shooting free throws.
You saw the one that Josh Hart missed. The referee
went right when he shot, screwed him up. I mean,
you can't do that.
Speaker 3 (24:16):
I did not see that on the take. All, right,
enumerate all of that, but you know, I would be remiss.
But we didn't put a bow on it because back
in the day, I mean you did, haved Ken Waller,
Mike Katz Ed, Corny lou Ferigno all were Mister America.
But it goes back to seventy three. That's when it
was in its heyday sixties, and then it disappeed like
(24:39):
it got carved up into different federations and who owned
the rights or whatever like because I don't recognize any
of the names past, like seventy seventy three with lou Ferigno. Yeah,
there's a couple of guys from like nineteen seventy with
the other federation when they were fighting over the name.
Pretty crazy stuff, wild times in the body building world.
You want to hear a great story, Yeah, because it
(25:01):
all comes back with the pumping iron, right. It's like
all of these guys that were part of that movie
in college.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
In college there was a guy in the dining hall.
I think we were juniors, as seniors, maybe juniors. And
he looked like Louf Forigno. My roommate and I was
my best friend. We all thought he looked like lu Forigno. Okay,
there's Luf for Regno, here's so was he green? He
looked like Louf Forigno? Right. So one time we went
(25:26):
to a late dinner after a happy hour, so you know,
we're all feeling it, right, He's a whole bunch of
us at the table. We're like, oh, there has that dude.
It looks like dude looks like lu looked like Lugno.
So we were dareing each other. You're drunk, So we
were daring. No, I don't know how drunk I was.
I was still I was because I was still coming
up with the ideas, like we were. We were doing
the whole. We were playing the whole. I dare you right? Okay,
So I go to this guy said, okay, you're there.
(25:49):
I'm gonna write something down on a piece of paper
and you have to do it. And the guy's on
and come on, I'll do it to do so rub
it a piece of paper, you walk up to the
guy that I tell you to and you ask him,
when you're not angry, do you look like Bill Bixby?
And so that's why I write it the piece of
paper and he goes, all right, which, dude, that guy
(26:09):
right there, and we're all ladys and big dude, tears
are coming out of her eyes because we know he's
gonna do it right. And he he just walks up
to him and we just see him say something and
the and the guy that looks like Lou Forigno just
looked at him and like huh. And then the guy
walked away back table laughing. The guy was like he.
Speaker 3 (26:26):
Had no idea what he going.
Speaker 1 (26:28):
No one's told you look like dude, you look just
like Louf Forigno. But I mean, I'm hoping that he
he delivered the line right, because he could have, you know,
in an altered state. But like, when you're not angry,
do you look like Bill Bixby. I was so.
Speaker 3 (26:42):
Proud of that Bill Bixby. Part of it might have
been the thing that threw him.
Speaker 1 (26:45):
Now, oh man, that might be well I might have been.
But if you've if people have told you you look
like Louigno, you know you know who Bill Bixby is
not necessarily sure you do? What else do people who
know Lou He was TV's incredible Hulk and then mister
America Bill Bill Bixby turned into the credit You know,
if you know Lufarigno, you know Bill Bicks.
Speaker 3 (27:05):
Was Bill Bixby. Ever on the Battle of the Network show.
Speaker 1 (27:08):
We're gonna say Bill bo Back and Bill Boil.
Speaker 3 (27:11):
Well, they've had a number of deaths in the Lord
of the Rings world. This will bring.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
Up why do you do that?
Speaker 4 (27:16):
No?
Speaker 3 (27:16):
But so that the bread because I'm not a Lord
of the Rings guy, but it finds way feed.
Speaker 1 (27:21):
But people have died, so I'm going to talk about it.
Speaker 2 (27:23):
Why How do you be sure to catch live editions
of The Jason Smith Show with Mike harmon weekdays at
ten pm Eastern, seven pm Pacific.
Speaker 1 (27:32):
Now, speaking of Luca u this falls under the category
of when press conferences go wild. Uh the win tonight
by the Mavericks. We talked about it one nineteen one
ten Luga Donsich had a big game, you know, another
big night from with twenty nine points leading the way
alternately hurt and then looking good, and then hurt and
(27:53):
then looking good and then hurt, then looking good. But
here's how the press conference began, and again under the
category of when press conferences go wild, IM just how
sharing the ball and our energy was great. What do
you think? Okay?
Speaker 3 (28:13):
Okay, his reaction, Oh my goodness, just puts his head down.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
Yeah, let's play it again. Listen here, you're you're not
listening for anything, Lucas says, you're listening for the background.
Go ahead. We were open shots. So I'm just how
sharing the ball and our energy was great. What do
you think? Okay? Only two possible scenarios, guys, Okay, one
(28:46):
somebody was knocking boots live sure, or somebody had an
adult website on their laptop.
Speaker 3 (28:53):
Yeah, I mean Luca did say, I hope that's not live.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
Yeah yeah. Yeah. The way it sounds like if you
were in the if you were in the room, you
would know if that was live or off somebody's computer. Right,
You'll be able to tell if this sound was was
coming from like behind you or behind the curtain, or
if it was coming from someone's computer, Like you would
know that if you're there. Like That's how I'm waiting
for some reporters to get on here and say, hey,
(29:17):
I heard it. It was here, was behind me, behind
this curtain, I don't know what it was, or it
was on somebody's computer. You know, I'm waiting to get
that kind of confirmation because here it sounds like it's
it's like behind Luca or like behind a curtain where hey,
some people, Hey, let's go at it. Man, that Lucas
probably celebrating winds right now, Lucas pres Conors is right here.
(29:39):
I mean, I know if you're celebrating away, maybe you're
celebrating a gambling win. Hey, I had Luca over twenty
seven and a half points. Let's get let's get freaky.
Maybe Dirk was hitting a fade away if you know
what I'm in get for freaky with you. Well, there's
only two possible scenarios. Okay, yeah, we we just decided, right,
so which one is it? It sounds to me like
(30:02):
it was live. I'm hoping the former. I'm hoping it's live.
His reaction, I mean, Luca's reaction is just priceless, like
all of a sudd He just stares up like, hey,
is is there is there porn happening? Is their sex happening?
Speaker 2 (30:14):
What?
Speaker 1 (30:15):
What's going on? What is this? What is this?
Speaker 3 (30:17):
Like I said, he didn't say, I hope it's not life,
so he uh he leaned into it, and the laugh
from the assembled media. Boy, I tell you, it almost
looks like that video of Adam Gates or the Tacos
flying around with his eyes going like.
Speaker 1 (30:41):
Like just see him look up going what am I saying?
What am I looking at? What's happening somewhere? I mean,
we're what great is that?
Speaker 3 (30:46):
Now that's not the first question at any media availability
for Luca going forward.
Speaker 1 (30:51):
Yeah, now you can't really uh you know, now you
can't really just uh, you know, go on and answer questions. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (30:57):
For the game, he had a great answers about what
Kyrie Irving's meant to him as a teammate and mentor
and learning from him, what some of the other guys
and PJ. Washington stepping up or whatever, doesn't matter. None
of that matters. All great basketball analysis.
Speaker 1 (31:16):
Who cares? Where was whoa? Whoa?
Speaker 3 (31:20):
Whoa? Whoa? Whoa?
Speaker 1 (31:21):
Whoa whoa whoa? Is just the roast? That's a fair question.
It's not a fair question. Come on, man, go on, man,
you can't. I mean, there's so many people who have
different reasons for why this happened, and and there's and
(31:43):
just some of the stuff throwing out there because this
is just what it could be, right, we talked about
it could be could be people having sex. It could
be on somebody's computer. But here's a couple of other
things that people have seen from either people who were
there or watching the press conference, that somehow they had
something on one of their screens, what they had connected
to their bluetooth. It could have been someone who was
(32:04):
trying to record the press conference with their phone and
accidentally pressed play on a video instead of of instead
of recording openly. Could have been as well.
Speaker 3 (32:14):
Yeah, they got bored by the ok see you have
fort in the final minutes, so they decided to find
a more entertaining venture for their viewing experience.
Speaker 1 (32:23):
The NBA after Dark. Yes it is, Yes, Yeah, I'm
glad we can. We can. We can only play this
after ten o'clock. Now, Luckily it is not true. I'll
play itself, Harbor. You're gonna straight that home and listen
to it all the way home. My life doesn't suck
that much. Oh my goodness. I And really that's what
I'm waiting for someone to make the Adam Gase taco
(32:45):
thing with Luca's eyes. That's the only thing that's missing
from this story right now, it's really really quite good.
Good for Luca. You get a win and then you
get that moment of levity. Yeah. Well I don't know
how much levity that well for for those people it
was for.
Speaker 3 (32:59):
So he laughed pretty heartily. It's got nothing to do like, yeah,
he's sitting at a table. He cannot be called out
for doing or participating in anything.
Speaker 1 (33:08):
Uh. But for other people, a little bit more concentration
I think is going on. So without this audio and
this happening, we're not talking about these two teams.
Speaker 4 (33:17):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (33:17):
No, this is definitely a thing. Now, this is this
is definitely a thing. And and I really I'm waiting
for well a the taco thing. Uh, but I'm also
waiting to find hey, this is exactly what it was
or whatever whatever, because the person's not going to own
up to it. If it's something that was on their
phone or on their computer, why would you not? But
if we're all get said to adults, yeah, dude, that's embarrassing.
Speaker 3 (33:37):
Though.
Speaker 1 (33:37):
Man. I went to I went to the Luca Dodgets
press conference. And I pressed a and I pressed a
button on my phone and and and sex noises came
from it. Yeah, you're not getting credit to another game.
N You know you got you got to be a professional.
Greg Doyle catching strays right now, you got to be
(33:59):
a problem man.
Speaker 3 (33:59):
That case had happened, we know, the night would have
been a big night for him. I mean they had
they had a preseason game, and then I guess they
took fifty two minutes to come out to meet the press.
Speaker 1 (34:09):
Cravitz was not happy. It's a long time. Well, because
they were they had to count all the fouls that
were called or not called against them, because that's how
you do in Indiana. Now, is you count all the
fouls you put him towards WNBA and say, look, these
were not called for us. That's what it is. Come on,
people in India can't count that high. Oh everybody's catching
strays from Prosberg.
Speaker 2 (34:29):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern seven
pm Pacific.
Speaker 1 (34:37):
Joining us now in the hotline. Man who I am
sure had to do push ups and train like Rocky
getting ready for disappearance with us and as Fox Sports
won Insider Extraordinaire check out as on the Ball podcast,
which will be all about Jalen Brunston and the Knicks.
It is Rick Buker. Rick, what's happening? Bud Well?
Speaker 5 (34:58):
First of all, I want to apologize. I supposed to
be on with you guys a little earlier, but I
was I was too busy celebrating the nixt victory. So
I apologize.
Speaker 1 (35:09):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (35:10):
I completely understand a couple of refrains of go New York,
Go New York, go.
Speaker 5 (35:15):
Oh yeah, yeah, I actually I watched it. I watched
the game on the plane back from LA to San Francisco,
and and when I got when we got the airport,
I bought a pair of blue and orange socks.
Speaker 1 (35:35):
There we go. I knew I was going to bring
you around to round to me. Rick. I mean, now
all you have to do next is, and you're on
the Ball podcast, say Joki should do the right thing
and give the m VB Trophy to Brunson. Like when
they try to give it to him, say no, no,
this is Jalen's award. Then they fly and give it
to him instead.
Speaker 5 (35:51):
You mean he didn't do that already.
Speaker 3 (35:55):
How dare he?
Speaker 5 (35:55):
I'll dare him, what's up with that?
Speaker 3 (35:59):
I was really thinking, with those socks, Rick, you could
probably give them a couple of minutes at the three
or four because they're gonna need it.
Speaker 5 (36:08):
Well, you know it's funny because I was on with
I was on undispeeded this morning and skipped I think
he asked Byron Scott was on with us, and he asked,
what are the chances that the Tims goes to playing
his starting five all forty eight minutes? And I thought,
(36:29):
you know what, you know what he's What would really
be a TIBs move is if one of his starting
five falls out, fouls out, and he looks out of
the bench and then he goes, screw it, We're just
playing with four.
Speaker 1 (36:47):
All right, Rick, So look, let let's start here. Let's
start here with this Rick Carlisle. After the game, extreme Look,
he gets thrown out of the game, He gets upset
that an erroneous whistle was taken back and then Nick's
retained possession of the basketball. He throws the referees under
the bus, saying, small market teams deserve a chance and
we're not getting it. He's got twenty nine calls they
(37:09):
want to send to the NBA about what's been missed
the first couple of games here with the Pacers in
the Knicks. You know you've seen these first two games.
What do you make of Rick Carlisle saying.
Speaker 5 (37:19):
That, I I think he's frustrated. I do think that
the way the Knicks play invites whistles. I mean the
way that Dalen Jalen's just really good. Somebody on our staff,
(37:39):
on the speak staff, said that he's like Trey Young,
and I said, do not say that that, because I
think Trey. I think Trey does like he does extraneous things.
Jalen is just very physical and very shifty in terms
of changeing direction and and and and the way he
(38:02):
does it is a little bit different in terms of
he's and he did it, you know, down the strets.
I thought he hit a big bucket where he hit TJ.
McConnell twice and then uh, and but it was it
was it was legitimate, it was legal. Uh. And then
Scord got that little separation, scored and then somebody landed
(38:23):
on top of him and he ended up with an
an one. And you're you're watching the whole sequence, and
you're thinking, God, Jalen, Jalen just beat the stuffings out
of TJ and how and now and now is going
to the free throw line?
Speaker 1 (38:34):
Life. He took that possession personally, Rick, that was one
of those I took that McConnell jumper and him getting
in by face personally, and I'm just walling him down
the floor on that bucket.
Speaker 5 (38:44):
Yeah. Yeah, So I look, I understand I understand Rick
Rick's frustration. I can see where it comes from. But
but the truth of the matter is, and probably the
heart of it is that his guys are more finesse
players like Pasco Fiakum will will bang, but he does
(39:05):
it in trying to just he uses his length more
than his his his whip to create space. And Haliburton
is the same way. Those guys just don't attack the
paint in the same way. And so I can see
why the whistle favors New York. And I don't think
it's the big market versus small market. But look, Rick
(39:29):
smart and he's not generally not an emotional guy. What
he's doing is trying to lay the groundwork so that
they get a different whistle in in Indiana. And we'll
see ultimately if that happens or it works, but you
know the sort of it is. I don't I don't
think they've gotten I don't think Indiana has gotten an
(39:50):
egregiously bad whistle. I think they just Brunson has has
created a riddle for them that they cannot solve if
they double him. He's really getting good at getting the
ball out of his hands. And Herdenstein in particular sort
of as that swing guy at the top, that's the
guy you're gonna leave a leave alone. Well, he's done
(40:11):
a good job of swinging it quickly and finding the
Vincenzo or one of the other open shooters. And they've
knocked down the shots. And and if they don't double him,
and Brunston is just really good at getting his own
shot contested or otherwise. And I mean, that's the shots
that he made down the stretch, considering looked like he
was playing on a bad foot, looked like he was exhausted.
(40:32):
I don't, I don't have words for watching Brunton is
giving us a Jordan like performance, and he is in
no way physically like Michael Jordan's and yet kind of
getting to the same spot degree of difficulty is much greater,
and and and just hitting every clutch shot that they need.
(40:53):
I it's it's astounding because I still I look at
him and I'm like, how is he doing this? Over
and over and over again. He looks like he's playing
on one leg. He looks like he's exhausted, and yet
and looks like he's got a hand in his space
and he drills every shot necessary. It has just been
(41:14):
a remarkable performance. You know, My only question is can
he'd do it two more times with you know, with
with the diminishing crew around him, that is going to
be the biggest question.
Speaker 3 (41:27):
Well, now you're missing Og indefinitely. I mean, the Pacers
did give up fifty shooting to the Nicks. One of
the things we banged down a bunch. But Jason and
I were talking about this before Rick the substitutions in
the fourth court. Rick Carlisle probably kicking himself too, that
McConnell and top and didn't see a lot of action
down the stretch as effective as they'd been.
Speaker 5 (41:49):
Yeah, well it's a tricky I don't know. I haven't
seen them play McConnell and Haliburton a whole lot together,
and so yeah, I mean maybe maybe he could. Maybe
we'll see, we'll see a change there again. I just
(42:10):
there was there's There was once or twice where I
thought Halliburton needed to needed to go to the cup
and try to score. Instead, he tried to swing it
out and it either ended up they didn't get a
shot or it was a turnover. And and those little
moments where he's not as aggressive as Brunson is really
(42:30):
has been the different I thought Brunton was. I thought
Halliburton was so much better than one of us was
obviously in game one. But I think that he has
to be even more aggressive, particularly with now with og
out of there. I mean, you only have Hertenstein to
defend the rim. If Halliburton is really attacking strong, scoring
(42:53):
and and and attacking the rim, then I think it's
going to open up more for the other guys. And
they just he did more of it this game. I
think it has to go to yet another level if
they're gonna combat with Jalen Brunson is doing.
Speaker 1 (43:06):
Look, it's gonna be fine, Rick because Greg Anthony will
play some more minutes in game five. Bernard King will
play some more minutes in game five. It's it's gonna
be fine, Rick, It's gonna be in the suit. We're good.
Speaker 5 (43:18):
I think I think Don Starks is ready to turn
his hash backward and get out there and let a
couple fly.
Speaker 1 (43:26):
Rick Buger with us Fox Sports one NBA inside of
the Jason Smith Show with Mike Carmon live from the
tirec dot Com Studios. You know we said this last
night and I and you know you mentioned Jordan, and
I feel like when when I when I sit here
and look at the two best players in the playoffs
so far, I don't think I don't think I'm stretching
it by saying it's been Jalen Brunson and Anthony Edwards, Right,
(43:46):
those are probably been the two best players in the
playoffs so far, and yet we see Edwards all the
time gets pushed, Hey, he's the next Jordan, He's this,
he's that. And I feel like the reason Brunson doesn't
get the run is because he doesn't give you that
I don't know that he can dunk, right, he gives
you you know, he's a he's a He's one of
the smartest players in the league, probably one of the
(44:07):
top three smartest players in the league. Being able to
do what he can, and that's the brilliance of his
game and hitting the big shots. It's not up and
down and making a big three over two guys, or
or fighting a way to the rim and fight. We
just don't. We just don't see. It's easy to see
the brilliance for Anthony Edwards because physically he's that guy,
but for Brunson it's kind of harder. I wonder if
that's why it's taken so long for people to come
(44:29):
around to the fact that hey, you know, hey, this
Jalen Brunson's a bleeping superstar. Yeah.
Speaker 5 (44:34):
I mean, honestly, I think I think in some ways
I could make a case that what Jalen has done
and is doing is more Jordan Like than what Anthony
Edwards does. But the comparison and nobody should compare. It
should be compared to Jordan's because, as Michael did, some
of what Anthony Edwards is doing and some of what
(44:55):
Jalen Brunson is doing, and then doing a few other
things that neither one of those guys do, And so
I just I think the I think the Anthony Edwards
to Michael Jordan's. My problem is people don't go like
they're they're saying he's the next Jordan, or he does
what does he do like Jordan's He's got it like
a turnaround jumper, like Jordan. He's got the athletic ability
(45:16):
to crush it on the rim and go buy somebody
and and dunk it. But he doesn't manage to gain
like Michael did. Like Michael was a maestro. He controlled
everything when he was on the floor. Uh and and
is in no way there yet Now he's only twenty two.
(45:37):
But I made this. I made this comparison, like everybody's like, well,
what was Michael doing at twenty two? Michael Michael was
barely into the league at age twenty two because of
the time that he spent in North Carolina. If you compare,
this will tell you how far Aunt has to go
before he gets to Michael Jordan's status. This is Aunt's
(45:59):
fourth year in the league. He was not I didn't
check the ballot, but my guess is like he wasn't
in the top five in MVP voting. I know he
wasn't on my ballot. And people are gonna some people
have just watched him during the playoffs are going to
wonder how that is look, he wasn't. He wasn't an
m v P. During the season, he was a really
(46:19):
good player. He wasn't wasn't m v P. And that
he's a little bit like Jason Tatum for me, and
he's he's the best player, the most talented player on
a really really, really good team, but not everything goes
through him. So that that that ants fourth fourth year,
he was an All Star on one of the best
(46:41):
teams in the Western Conference. Michael Jordan in his fourth
year was League MVP, was the Defensive Player of the Year,
was winning his second consecutive scoring title, was All First
Team Defense and and All NBA First Team, and he
(47:01):
took a Chicago Bulls team that had Charles Oakley and
Brad Cellars as the two other maybe the next best
players on the team to the second round of the playoffs.
What ann has done this so far is really great.
(47:22):
But if we're talking about what two guys have done
in their fourth year in the league, which I think
is the most fair comparison, there is no comparison to that.
Speaker 3 (47:30):
End Rick and obviously some good Bulls history. When you
get Brad Cellars into thingssine no corsine. The legend of
Dave Corsine. Absolutely, there you go as we go through it.
I mean, how does Denver get up off the mat?
Can they?
Speaker 1 (47:50):
You know?
Speaker 5 (47:50):
I'm I'm really baffled by Denver. I'll be honest, Like
I thought that's the way they played against the Lakers
was out of boredom, not out of it's physical or
mental fatigue, because they just looked like they were sleeping,
asleepwalking most of the time. I haven't seen them play
with the Christmas, Christmas and energy of last year's championship teams.
(48:13):
I don't know. I mean I've seen it here and there,
but only enough to eke out those wins against the Lakers.
And after they lost Game four, I expected to see
it in Game five. I was like, Okay, you know what,
They've beaten the team so many times, they feel like
we don't have to take them seriously until the fourth
quarter and then we'll close them out. And they did
(48:35):
that what twelve times? And then they lose one. I'm like, okay,
Game five, they're at home, they're gonna let they're gonna
remind everybody. Yeah, you know what, we flipped up. We
lost one. We're gonna remind you of just how good
we are, and they were. They were basically the same team,
and they've basically been that team against Minnesota and they've
had it handed to them because Minnesota is just that
much better than the Lakers. So I'm not talking around
(48:59):
your question, am I. How they get off the mat
is they show me some semblance of the team that
won a championship last year, which means they're going to
be aggressive offensively and defensively. Jokic reason he was my
MVP was because when he had a guy like Noz Reid,
he didn't wait a round for the double team. He
(49:19):
put nos Reed underneath the basket and and and was
putting it in the hoop until they brought somebody quicker
or put somebody bigger on him, and then he would
then he would he would spray it around there. They're
cuts off the ball are not sharp. They seem to
be disconnected and misreading each other. And then Jamal Murray
(49:43):
in the series in particular, has decided like, no, I
need to prove that I can score on Jayden Daniels
and and Anthony Edwards. And I'm like, dude, why why
are you attempting to do this? That's not when what
you guys are at your best, it's you making a
decision getting the ball to Jokis if you have a
bad matchup playing off of him, running off the ball,
(50:05):
getting it and then taking a shot, not trying to
prove that you can go one on one against these guys,
because those are two really good defenders that have greater
size on you, and you're not scoring at a consistent
in a consistent way with those matchups. So I just
I'm really baffled, like what do they have to do
to get off the mat? They need to be the
(50:26):
Denver nugget. I really haven't seen the team that I
came to respect and admire in the way they played
last year. I've only seen glimpses of that team to
this point, and I think if they are what they
were last year, and I think they can be that
Minnesota is really good on the ball, descending one on one,
(50:48):
great descendants. The way you can loosen that up is
if you're making them move and rotate, and they've got
to read and react. Carl Anthony Edwards has got to
chase Carl and Anthony Towns have to rotate. Now you're
going to get some opportunities so they just they need
back to playing Denver Nuggets basketball, and maybe that maybe
(51:08):
they can't. Maybe maybe the mental and physical fatigue of
having won a championship and then battling it out with
Minnesota and Oklahoma City for the best record in the
Western Conference. You know, maybe that lost to San Antonio
where they could have, uh, they could have zipped it up.
Maybe that was a sign of things that this team
(51:29):
just doesn't have as much in the tank as we
thought that they did.
Speaker 1 (51:35):
He's on Twitter at Rick Buker, that is at Rick Buker.
Check out on the Ball podcast, which would be all
about Josh Hart. Can he play every minute of every
game the rest of the year, Rick, as always, Buddy,
appreciate it man Nick Show, Talk to.
Speaker 5 (51:49):
You soon, Amstrings Joe see Rick.
Speaker 3 (51:53):
Thanks
Thanks for listening to the best of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Carmen podcast. Be sure to catch us
live every weeknight from ten pm to two am Eastern
seven to eleven pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. Find
your local station for The Jason Smith Show with Mike
Harmon at Fox Sports Radio dot com, or stream us
live every night on the iHeartRadio app by searching FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
This is the best of The Jason Smith Show with
Mike Harmon on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Fox Sports Radio The Jason Smith Show with My best
friend Mike Harmon. Minute and a half left to go.
The Knicks lead the Pacers one twenty four to one eighteen.
The Pacers trying to deny the basketball to Jalen Brunson.
They're able to get it across half court. Dante DiVincenzo
hits a huge three to give the Knicks a lead.
(00:51):
But now the Pacers use a little bit of strategy
to kind of get back in the game. Here a
little bit. Uh, you saw a world class flop by
Halliburton that got them to the free throw line.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
No, no, no, shivered him in the stop. Come on,
don't go back and go back and watch it. Nicks.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
Don't just be opposite me just because you feel like it,
because you sound foolish. He fell down, Yes, he put
his arm up. He fell down. It was a world
class flop. I'm not saying it wasn't a great play.
It was a great play because it put him on
the free throw line, one twenty four to one eighteen.
Now they're just there's a discrepancy at half court. The
referees look like they called a double dribble on Isaiah
(01:28):
Hartenstein as the Knicks are trying to get the ball
across half court. Rick Carlyle is screaming at the official
because it looks like they brought the call back. Now
I'm watching the replay and it looks like he's dribbling again.
I don't know what the call. It looked like it
was double dribble. He tried to make that and tried
to make that sign, but then they looked at it
and said it wasn't. Carlile is upset. But it's still
(01:51):
a six point lead for the Knicks with a minute
ten left to go. I mean, every time the Knicks
have the ball, I'm outside my mind because I'm like,
oh my god, they don't have it, James Brunton. Is
he gonna be able to keep hitting shots like this?
Is he gonna keep making it? Can they keep getting
offensive rebounds like they do? And they have, and they
keep getting them, and they keep holding onto the ball
and they keep possession. And I'm just saying to myself,
(02:13):
the Pacers have to be saying, why don't you just die? Why?
Speaker 3 (02:20):
Hog stick legs like the Energizer Bunny.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
I mean, how how can you Why can't you just die?
They're gonna keep possession on this play because it's off
the Pacers out of bound Like it's like, we're doing
everything we can. You're losing players. Jalen Brunston had to
sit out an entire quarter. Why won't you die? We
keep doing everything there, this has to do it. No,
the Knicks keep sitting up like Michael Myers at the
(02:44):
end of Halloween. It just keeps happening, is I mean it?
This is such a fun series to watch, It's such
a fun team. And I'll tell you, man, you can
cancel the rest of the players. Just keep giving me
Nick Pacers games. I don't think anybody else in the
NBA would disagree. I think they they would sign up
for like fifteen of these games because they're just so
much fun.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
You just included the Pacers in.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
That because it's fun, because the pain team the next
can beat Mike. Look, Look, it's it's look, it's it's
a case of look, the Pacers are fun. Reggie Miller's
in the house, the Boogeyman is there. Nick's Pacers brings
everybody back to the nineties. Everybody at least in their
forties who watch basketball remembers us. And it was fun
and I was younger and thinner, and I could run
(03:25):
all day and I could eat whatever I wanted to
and not gain any weight. No, it's a big throwback, man,
this is what it is. You know who's loving this game?
Who's more than the next the so justin well, yeah, listen, look,
we talked about that. The Celtics have to be saying,
all right, if we don't get to the finals and
win this year, we're never gonna do it. Right. Suddenly
(03:45):
there's a ton of pressure on the South Shore because
instead of hey, we're the best team, we should prove
ourselves and win. It's dude, the door is wide open,
notches one door. It's French doors. French doors that open
up to a backyard filled with a pool and trees
and some kind of there's cricket bats everywhere and you
can play lawn bowling. And this is the French doors
(04:07):
wide open for the Celtics to get to the finals
and win because in the West, you can tell for
some of these teams. Look, Minnesota and Oklahoma City is
gonna be a rock fight for seven games if they
wind up playing. You see the energy that's expended by
some of these squads getting through and the Celtics. I
don't know that any of them have taken a shower
in the last two weeks. I know they've had to
go through and I still smell pretty good. Didn't you sweat?
(04:29):
Now we won that game one thirteen to seventy two. Oh,
you're right, I really I don't think any of them
have bathed because they haven't had to because only bathed
and I'm dirty, and no, I still smell pretty good.
All the pressure in the world is on the Celtics
because they should get there and they should win, like
this is their year suddenly.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
Well that's the thing, though, It's been there for a while,
right because they ran away with the Eastern Conference and
it becomes the like the Dodgers every year, we do
the same thing, right, all right, this is great in May,
and we enjoy the moments, right, you enjoy the wins,
the Otani runs and whatever else. It's all great. Doesn't
matter till you get October, because that's what you're playing for.
(05:05):
With the Celtics, after last year, coming into the season,
it was the should they break them up? Should Missoula
have been fired? All of that was coming off of
that playoff run. So as you get into these rounds
and you're watching the attrition and the Knicks falling one
by one and whether they're available or not, and these
(05:26):
guys killing themselves for forty eight minutes then and with
Cleveland made Jared Allen, is he ever going to be
cleared to play? I don't know. I mean that's a
guy that was what sixteen and eleven or something like
that that isn't there. You don't have a force in
the middle. So yeah, you're walking through even with porzingis sidelined.
The expectation is that it's you're at least in the
(05:49):
finals and then whatever comes from there. But yeah, certainly
for the Celtics, it's been that for a long time,
as soon as Doc Rivers got hired and the Bucks
started to fall off off. See what I did there?
Speaker 1 (06:01):
I see, I see what you did him off the
hook there. It's it's it's not Doc's fault, right, remember,
no matter what, it is, not Doc's fault. Hurt, Lillard
gets hurt, all of that stuff. But you know, uh,
and now we have just seen a big I wouldn't
say a reversal of fortune, because the Knicks are now
up one twenty seven, one eighteen with thirty three seconds left.
(06:23):
We have seen Brunson make a floater for an eight
point lead, and now he is shooting technicals because Rick
Carlyle has just been ejected. Rick Carlisle got ejected. He
was upset over the officials taking back the double dribble call,
which still he was harping on. He's on the court
and he's clapping in the official's face. Now at this point, look,
(06:46):
the Knicks are up by seven, there's thirty five seconds
left to go, but he's sitting there clapping in the
officials face. And I don't care what you do when
you when you clap in the officials face, you're gonna
get ejected.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
That's what you've had enough. His guys actually hit some
frea throws earlier in the quarter, it might have been
a little different game. They missed their first five in
the fourth quarter. But I think the point he was
trying to make was how come we can review this
in real time, but I can't get this kickball thing overturned. Yeah,
I mean, let's be consistent here, fellas. That's all we're
(07:18):
asking for.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
You know what, what do I say the Pacers? Look,
they focused too much on that after the first game,
and now they're going to focus on the officiat again
because I'm sure they're going to sit back and say, oh,
you know, if that if that was called a double dribble,
which I still don't know what Rick Carlile is yelling.
I'm sure we'll figure it out and in the break
we see more things happen. But I'm like, real, that's
you saying if you got that call, you don't won
(07:40):
the game. I mean, they really just just like, if
you got the call in game one, you would have won.
If if you had gotten the kickball, you would have won.
But I'm sure they're going to find a way to
figure out a way to say that I think he's
just really upset that his his acting career has gone
in the in the tank.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
That is true. He was really good in the Truman Show. Yeah,
I mean I watched that a little bit early herem Dummer.
I mean he had a good run he did.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
I mean, well, you had three hundred million dollar movies
in nineteen ninety four.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
The Mask, that's really good, you know.
Speaker 1 (08:09):
Josh Hart has just leaned over to talk to Reggie
Miller with twenty seconds left in the game, and there's
a timeout on the floor. I have no idea what
he said. Devincenzo is shooting free throws. Uh, but he
leaned over to say something to Reggie Miller.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
Again, we'll find out after the game. But I'll tell
you this has been some kind of last fourth quarter
by run by the Knicks here, because they're gonna win
this game and they're gonna be up two games to none,
and the Pacers are gonna walk away going what the
hell else do we have to do? Right? Like, that's it.
They're not fouling. The countdown is going on, Knicks are
going up to zip And before we get into any
(08:44):
more analysis, I just want to say.
Speaker 4 (08:46):
Go New York, New York Coat Co New York, New
York Coat Co New York, New York Coat one thirty
one twenty one is the final look at the Knicks.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
Okay, now we can get back to basketball analysis of
this game.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
Okay, go ahead, you feel good, you feel good, I
feel a wonderful.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
That I don't want to I don't want to overwhelm
you because this is going to be three and a
half hours of go New York, got New York, goat,
Go to York, go to you.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
We're not on in New York. Let's talk about other things.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
I'm pretty sure we are pretty sure York City. I'm
pretty sure on Channel Lady three serious ExM, we're on
across the company. Of course you should check it. See
where we're on, buddy, check it, see where we're Channel
Lady three serious accent. Let's just so you know that
you don't want to give a shout out, you know,
because we need that that local affiliate as well. Yeah. No,
and just and just trying to look at all the
things that are trending on Twitter. At the top Jalen Brunson,
(09:36):
The Knicks are at the top than their Survivor edge.
J McConnell, Rick, Carlyle Shack. I think maybe we got
Shack trending with our conversation a few minutes ago, so hey,
congrat check you out.
Speaker 4 (09:47):
Well.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
He also had that conversation with Jokic, saying I voted
in and Shay should have been MVP no offense, no offense,
but should have been.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
I just want to say for him, but look, this
is now a two games to none lead for the Knicks,
and if you are the pacer, let's let's think about
this in the pacer second case, we have a lot
to get to with Brunson and the Knicks and what
they're doing. Who knows if I don't know he's even
gonna be able to play. I don't even know. But
if you're if you're the pacer, you're saying, what do
we have to do? You're upset at the refs speak
(10:19):
for whatever the call you wanted on on Hartenstein, right,
but you're like, what do we have to do? Because
this was a game where we came out and we
did again what we wanted to do, especially since we
got a big game from Halliburton. What did he say
from him early?
Speaker 4 (10:35):
Right?
Speaker 1 (10:36):
Well, at least he's still thirty four and nine. He
was huge early. What did I tell you what's gonna happen?
He was gonna be out early. And I told you,
if if the Pacers get out to like a ten
to two, twelve to two lead, I'll be worried. But
if it's a game early, then I'm then I'm not
gonna be that concerned because this is where the Pacers
have to come out and if they're mad and they
(10:57):
throw the hammer down to the Knicks early and make
them play from behind, make them expend a lot of energy.
And they didn't, and the Knicks hung with them. But
if you're the Pacers, you're saying, okay at halftime, we
had everything going the way we wanted, right, we had
Halliburton cooking, we had our bench was going crazy, Obi
topping back in New York, was hitting threes.
Speaker 5 (11:15):
Right.
Speaker 1 (11:15):
TJ McConnell finished with ten and twelve assists and he's
strutting around like he's Alan iverson right, Like, yeah, this
is how good I am, dude, Your TJ McConnell, take
it easy. You had everything going, you had everything you needed.
And again in another game where you did what you wanted,
you made Jalen Brunson work as hard as he could.
You made the Knicks make as many shots as they could.
You made the Knicks have to play with five guys,
(11:37):
and then Andrew Noby's out for the for most of
the second half. You did everything you needed and still
you're going home down.
Speaker 3 (11:44):
Do you know what you forgot to do?
Speaker 1 (11:46):
You're going home. You're going to play defense. You forgot
to play defense. The Knick shot fifty.
Speaker 3 (11:51):
Seven percent from the field, fifty seven in a row. Yeah, exactly.
I'm now in the the Josh Hart, the hate that
America will have with him, like you love how hard
he works. He chirps an awful lot after every rebound. Yeah,
well he gets old after a while. Yeah, get him
(12:11):
back up the court. I can see that.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
But still playing forty eight minutes and going to day
maybe teld Reggie Miller, Hey, Reggie, go blake yourself. Well
that's exactly what he's everywhere.
Speaker 3 (12:20):
I'm glad that Fike Lee gave you those frame newspapers.
I'm glad you had your fun talking about coming back
and being this agitator and being on the call. Because
he wasn't originally assigned to this series, but they added
him for special effect. Mike Green off to him for
ratings because nobody's watching this?
Speaker 1 (12:39):
Are you kidding? Come on, man, come on, man, you can't.
This is the only series anybody cares about. This is it?
That's why? What kind of poll did you take?
Speaker 3 (12:47):
What?
Speaker 1 (12:48):
Dude? What games are you gonna put on the air
better than this? Hey, let's put three other games that
are thirty point blowouts on the air and people are
gonna watch the whole game. No one's gonna watch thirty
point blowouts are gonna be when you play the Celtics.
No one's going to watch the Nuggets unless you're gonna say, baby,
let's see what Jamal Murray throws on the court today.
How much you go back again for Annonoby's hamstring? Okay, dude,
it doesn't matter. You know he's gonna be out for
(13:08):
the playoffs. Come on, man, this is how it works
for the Knicks. Is you know he's gonna be out?
Come on?
Speaker 3 (13:14):
Why can't I have nice things? You had to break them.
I had to take them, I will tell you.
Speaker 2 (13:22):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern seven
pm Pacific Shuck Cluck.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
Town eight.
Speaker 6 (13:33):
Halliverrton double team shut cluck at four them Hert's gotta
put it up, step back his three putters.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
The heart knocks the three down, time out, next step
even he looked surprised he hit the shot. What are
you gonna do a game? I thought the Knicks are
gonna lose by twenty They should have won too many
offensive rebounds, too many misfree throws, and still they needed
them hard to make a knocking shot where he didn't
(14:01):
think it was going in, the smile on his face,
like they told him he was just won. Mister America.
They were putting the crown on his head. He's like,
can you believe I just made this shot? What are
you gonna do? What are you gonna do? Pacers win games? America?
There should be if you do I.
Speaker 3 (14:17):
America, mister Olympia and wait and bodybuilding.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
Is anybody nicknamed mister America?
Speaker 3 (14:24):
I don't know Captain America is coming back? Asked no,
but we know we have a captain.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
But like, mister, like, is mister America thing, because like
I think that could be a thing. No, there's not,
but that's what he looks like the look on his face.
Of course, there's mister America. Who's mister America? What's mister America?
When you live the bodybuilding champions, mister America? He is okay,
all right? So it's sometimes made me want to raffle.
(14:49):
Then that's what it is. It's the contestant big bodybuilding raffle.
I think that's mister Olympia. That's what Harmon's taught.
Speaker 3 (14:57):
That's why mister America is a thing. Okay, it is
a thing started in nineteen thirty nine, but.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
It's not on TV.
Speaker 3 (15:06):
I have heard, there's no I haven't heard that term
in a while, though, mister America.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
I don't think i've ever heard. What do you mister America?
I don't know. You guys gotta get out more. There
no know.
Speaker 3 (15:18):
I had did Joe Weeder books and everything growing up.
It was always, you know, the quest was from mister Olympic.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
Come on, man, I just witnessed an absolute miracle tonight
with the Pacers making that shot by Nembard with fifteen
seconds left in the game. Man, you mean this shot?
You say that's a miracle?
Speaker 6 (15:37):
Halliverrton double team shot clock at court them Mart's gotta
put it up, step back.
Speaker 1 (15:42):
Here's three quarters.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
The heart, not the three time out.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
Next season's over All I need is a miracle. All
I need it is what are you gonna do? What
are you gonna the big possession of the Knicks Pacers game.
It's tied, it's twelve seconds left. The Knicks do everything
they wanted to do. Haliburton picks up his dribble. He's
not getting the ball back. Nem Hard wants nothing to
do with this, but he has no choice because he
(16:08):
has the ball and the shot clock is ticking down,
and he's five feet behind the three point line, and
he makes a three, and I mean it. His face
looked like someone said, you and the winner of the
fifty to fifty raffle and it's gonna take on the
brand new bicycle is Andrew Dembard. Congratulations the random shot
the other day. Congratulations, I mean, congrat You looked like
(16:30):
a big shot contest winner.
Speaker 3 (16:32):
In the end. Is What is kind of entertaining is
if you look at the shot chart for the fourth
quarter for both squads, it's just a bunch of empty circles,
no shot making whatsoever. Right Jalen Brunson when he hit
that big three that was their fourth make of the
fourth quarter.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
Yeah, well, look there's a reason, and I'm going and
I'm gonna submit this electronic.
Speaker 3 (16:51):
They were tripping over their tongues.
Speaker 1 (16:52):
There were seventy eight non calls on the Pacers just
in the final four minutes of this game. There was
a great lear out where there were Hartenstein and there
were fourteen fouls by Sakam on one play that were
not called fourteen. I'm gonna submit this to the end.
Speaker 3 (17:10):
I mean, look, if it's only gonna cost you thirty
five grand, I think it's worth thirty five grand.
Speaker 1 (17:15):
I win. I gotta submit this out. I mean I
counted them. I got there's one. There's another one. There's
another one. There's another one. There's another one.
Speaker 3 (17:21):
Rus Now I'm obsessing over mister. Mister America's really bothering me.
But keep going, Jason. There's only one play that mattered
from tonight though. What's the one play for Rosburg?
Speaker 6 (17:30):
Shuck cluck down, Hey, CALLI marton double team shut clock
at court them Mart's gotta put it up step back
has three quarters, the hard knocks, the three down time out.
Speaker 4 (17:45):
Next.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
You're playing this like it's the butt fumble, the guy
made a mirror. Who lost to a bunch of nobody.
I think there's no the patient nobody. We lost to
nobody's we played then.
Speaker 3 (17:58):
Hold on though, hold on, you did actually have twenty
You outscored them.
Speaker 1 (18:02):
Run the bench, Alec Burks. All of a sudden, Hey,
we're gonna dust you off and you're gonna play some minutes.
Speaker 3 (18:06):
We didn't quite see that. Yeah, you got twenty four
points off the bench.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
Look, I'm fine. I'm not gonna complain about the officials
or any calls it did. It didn't happen, because, you
know what, the Knick should have won this game. I
thought it was altogether awful. They missed free throws down
the stretch, right, Brunton missed a big one. Josh Hart
missed a big one. How many offensive rebounds for the
Pacers on their final two possessions. Way too many? Right,
that's why thirteen for the game. When when you give
a guy enough chances, you can even get a miracle.
Speaker 3 (18:32):
The backtaps and all of that. I mean, Haliburton had
the ball, gets it off to Hart, who I don't
think they had any clue. How much time was left
on the shot Haliburton picked up at the top of
the key.
Speaker 1 (18:44):
Yeah, I know he was. It was done.
Speaker 3 (18:46):
There was no offensive set.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
What's say, Wow, we're gonna Nick, are gonna get the
ball back here with the chance to win the game
in regulation, but he makes it. What are you gonna do?
Speaker 3 (18:53):
I mean the Brunton's decision.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
To brunts. But look, this is a game the Knicks
should have lost by twenty. The Pacers should have won
this one going away. Should have sat there guys in
the fourth quarter who looked more tired the Knicks of
the Pacers. The Pacers did. The Knicks were playing a
couple more guys off the bench, and it comes down
to the end and they should have won, and they didn't.
And you needed a miracle shot to win, to proof
that there are miracles that still happen. Maybe that's the
(19:20):
ninth wonder in the world, right, King Kong is the
eighth wonder, Pyramids of the seventh Wonder, and Andrew dem
hard shot the ninth wonder of the world that he
makes that shot that he wanted absolutely no part of.
And the Pacers win, Well I did, they won. They won.
It's still a series, but they walk out a walk
away from this and going, oh yeah, we want to
feel great. You want to feel great, dude, you really
(19:43):
this is a game that you should have blown the
knicks out of the water on and still you almost
lost it, and you should have lost it. Congratulate your
coach all the complaining he did. You got calls you wanted.
You had a foul call overturned in the final minute.
There was a pretty big call you got, You got everything,
and you won. It's awesome. They won. It's a series. Okay,
we'll see you on Sunday. Well, we'll get ready for
(20:03):
game We'll get ready for Game four. I told you
I fully expect this to go back to New York.
Tied it to a piece. The pacers are good and here,
and I'll put my money where my mouth is if
I'm going to tell you Rick Carlisle is ridiculous for
complaining about the officials. I'm not going to complain about
any call that was or wasn't made the end of
this game, because you know what I look at. I
think of the two miss free throws, the offensive rebounds,
and Nembard's miracle three. That's what lost the game. It's
(20:25):
still complaint. Normal radio it's Friday night, ahead of the weekend.
Speaker 3 (20:29):
Empty the chambers because otherwise you're going to carry that
back to your family.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
No, you gotta.
Speaker 3 (20:34):
Leave it here on the air, with your online family
all across this globe on the iHeartRadio app, and your
family here in the studio.
Speaker 1 (20:42):
I am true to myself and and and and that's
because that's honestly how I feel. I'm not going to
look at one call like the Pacers are going, oh still,
we'd be up three nothing if they called the kickball
in game one.
Speaker 3 (20:52):
No, that's not the confusion line still is the was hevolved?
Did he tap it out of bounds? The thing where
they the jump ball like that? That review took forever,
and in the end, I don't think anybody really was clear.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
And the Knicks got the ball, so I mean it
really it didn't end up winning the tech and it move.
None of that mattered. This. This is what happens in
a game. I tipped my hat to the Pacers in
a game they had to win. They gutted it out.
I'm more proud of the Knicks because this is a
game they could have folded. And you can see that
they have the better hand and the better amount of play,
(21:27):
they are coach better, they pick things up better. Their players,
even though they're playing more minutes, are better, more well conditioned.
Maybe now Josh Hart can't sit out at all. Maybe
you got to play them all forty eight minutes? Come on,
so what have to happen? Can't sit them out now?
But look, they lost, they lost, they lost, and the
Pacers made a miracle shot. What am I gonna do?
That's how it goes. No congratulations, they won and it's
two one and it's a series. So okay.
Speaker 3 (21:48):
The physicality was off the charts, and so this is
one of those in terms of how many whistles you're
gonna swallow over the course of the game when you
got bodies flying everywhere, and even on the broadcast, so
kind of like, all right, they're gonna have to try
to find that that line of demarcation of what's just
good physical contact? This is, you know, because it came
(22:08):
out that the Knicks had more or less through every
back channel they could lodge their complaint. Now, no word
as to whether they had seventy eight calls mixed therein,
but certainly I'm still going to send to the But
they Still they clearly went out of their way because
you saw this from all of the the would be
uh experts in the punditry of the NBA saying, well,
(22:32):
through back channels, they're they're complaining about the contact that
Jalen Brunson takes on each play. It's like, you know what,
he initiates about eighty percent of it. So I don't know,
I don't know how much weight that holds. But that's fine,
and it's it's better than wasting your night instead of
sleeping or watching a Broadway play evaluating the seventy eighth
(22:52):
call that didn't go your way. Just say, in general, hey,
Jalen Brunson's getting his ask kicked down there. He needs
a little more consideration because he's a supert.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
Look, I'll tell you what I saw tonight. I see's
what I saw tonight, and I am stunned. The officials
let Tyrese Halliburton dribble the ball too forcefully down court
like he was. He really dribbled like he meant to
get down court, and you can't allow him to do that.
Speaker 3 (23:16):
He was trying to get down court, can't trying to burrow.
Speaker 1 (23:19):
They allowed him to get close to the basket for layups.
When you come on, man, you can't get that close
and not blow the up. You can't let that. I mean,
I'm watching every time, but there's a layup for Haliburt.
How do the officials let that happen? How do the
officials let no more or less? Tibodeau was on the
sideline yelling, how does he get a layup? We don't
give up layups? I mean, I mean, how does he how?
I mean, I don't understand.
Speaker 3 (23:39):
You don't have that many fouls to give understand have
that deeper rotation?
Speaker 1 (23:42):
I mean, I don't get it. I don't get I
mean Pascal Siakam really and and the thing with Pascal
Siakam all game holding the ball up high in the
post so nobody could grab it out of his hand.
How do the referees not call that? I really have
a referee not call that?
Speaker 3 (23:55):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (23:55):
To law, I don't get it. I don't get it.
Speaker 3 (23:57):
Your guy, Josh Hart another eighteen point effort. He did
only play forty three minutes, though, yeah, slacker, maybe he's
tied Slackert Vingenzo thirty five. He was absurd.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
Referees yelling while Hart and Brunson are shooting free throws.
You saw the one that Josh Hart missed. The referee
went right when he shot, screwed him up. I mean,
you can't do that.
Speaker 3 (24:16):
I did not see that on the take. All, right,
enumerate all of that, but you know, I would be remiss.
But we didn't put a bow on it because back
in the day, I mean you did, haved Ken Waller,
Mike Katz Ed, Corny lou Ferigno all were Mister America.
But it goes back to seventy three. That's when it
was in its heyday sixties, and then it disappeed like
(24:39):
it got carved up into different federations and who owned
the rights or whatever like because I don't recognize any
of the names past, like seventy seventy three with lou Ferigno. Yeah,
there's a couple of guys from like nineteen seventy with
the other federation when they were fighting over the name.
Pretty crazy stuff, wild times in the body building world.
You want to hear a great story, Yeah, because it
(25:01):
all comes back with the pumping iron, right. It's like
all of these guys that were part of that movie
in college.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
In college there was a guy in the dining hall.
I think we were juniors, as seniors, maybe juniors. And
he looked like Louf Forigno. My roommate and I was
my best friend. We all thought he looked like lu Forigno. Okay,
there's Luf for Regno, here's so was he green? He
looked like Louf Forigno? Right. So one time we went
(25:26):
to a late dinner after a happy hour, so you know,
we're all feeling it, right, He's a whole bunch of
us at the table. We're like, oh, there has that dude.
It looks like dude looks like lu looked like Lugno.
So we were dareing each other. You're drunk, So we
were daring. No, I don't know how drunk I was.
I was still I was because I was still coming
up with the ideas, like we were. We were doing
the whole. We were playing the whole. I dare you right? Okay,
So I go to this guy said, okay, you're there.
(25:49):
I'm gonna write something down on a piece of paper
and you have to do it. And the guy's on
and come on, I'll do it to do so rub
it a piece of paper, you walk up to the
guy that I tell you to and you ask him,
when you're not angry, do you look like Bill Bixby?
And so that's why I write it the piece of
paper and he goes, all right, which, dude, that guy
(26:09):
right there, and we're all ladys and big dude, tears
are coming out of her eyes because we know he's
gonna do it right. And he he just walks up
to him and we just see him say something and
the and the guy that looks like Lou Forigno just
looked at him and like huh. And then the guy
walked away back table laughing. The guy was like he.
Speaker 3 (26:26):
Had no idea what he going.
Speaker 1 (26:28):
No one's told you look like dude, you look just
like Louf Forigno. But I mean, I'm hoping that he
he delivered the line right, because he could have, you know,
in an altered state. But like, when you're not angry,
do you look like Bill Bixby. I was so.
Speaker 3 (26:42):
Proud of that Bill Bixby. Part of it might have
been the thing that threw him.
Speaker 1 (26:45):
Now, oh man, that might be well I might have been.
But if you've if people have told you you look
like Louigno, you know you know who Bill Bixby is
not necessarily sure you do? What else do people who
know Lou He was TV's incredible Hulk and then mister
America Bill Bill Bixby turned into the credit You know,
if you know Lufarigno, you know Bill Bicks.
Speaker 3 (27:05):
Was Bill Bixby. Ever on the Battle of the Network show.
Speaker 1 (27:08):
We're gonna say Bill bo Back and Bill Boil.
Speaker 3 (27:11):
Well, they've had a number of deaths in the Lord
of the Rings world. This will bring.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
Up why do you do that?
Speaker 4 (27:16):
No?
Speaker 3 (27:16):
But so that the bread because I'm not a Lord
of the Rings guy, but it finds way feed.
Speaker 1 (27:21):
But people have died, so I'm going to talk about it.
Speaker 2 (27:23):
Why How do you be sure to catch live editions
of The Jason Smith Show with Mike harmon weekdays at
ten pm Eastern, seven pm Pacific.
Speaker 1 (27:32):
Now, speaking of Luca u this falls under the category
of when press conferences go wild. Uh the win tonight
by the Mavericks. We talked about it one nineteen one
ten Luga Donsich had a big game, you know, another
big night from with twenty nine points leading the way
alternately hurt and then looking good, and then hurt and
(27:53):
then looking good and then hurt, then looking good. But
here's how the press conference began, and again under the
category of when press conferences go wild, IM just how
sharing the ball and our energy was great. What do
you think? Okay?
Speaker 3 (28:13):
Okay, his reaction, Oh my goodness, just puts his head down.
Speaker 1 (28:22):
Yeah, let's play it again. Listen here, you're you're not
listening for anything, Lucas says, you're listening for the background.
Go ahead. We were open shots. So I'm just how
sharing the ball and our energy was great. What do
you think? Okay? Only two possible scenarios, guys, Okay, one
(28:46):
somebody was knocking boots live sure, or somebody had an
adult website on their laptop.
Speaker 3 (28:53):
Yeah, I mean Luca did say, I hope that's not live.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
Yeah yeah. Yeah. The way it sounds like if you
were in the if you were in the room, you
would know if that was live or off somebody's computer. Right,
You'll be able to tell if this sound was was
coming from like behind you or behind the curtain, or
if it was coming from someone's computer, Like you would
know that if you're there. Like That's how I'm waiting
for some reporters to get on here and say, hey,
(29:17):
I heard it. It was here, was behind me, behind
this curtain, I don't know what it was, or it
was on somebody's computer. You know, I'm waiting to get
that kind of confirmation because here it sounds like it's
it's like behind Luca or like behind a curtain where hey,
some people, Hey, let's go at it. Man, that Lucas
probably celebrating winds right now, Lucas pres Conors is right here.
(29:39):
I mean, I know if you're celebrating away, maybe you're
celebrating a gambling win. Hey, I had Luca over twenty
seven and a half points. Let's get let's get freaky.
Maybe Dirk was hitting a fade away if you know
what I'm in get for freaky with you. Well, there's
only two possible scenarios. Okay, yeah, we we just decided, right,
so which one is it? It sounds to me like
(30:02):
it was live. I'm hoping the former. I'm hoping it's live.
His reaction, I mean, Luca's reaction is just priceless, like
all of a sudd He just stares up like, hey,
is is there is there porn happening? Is their sex happening?
Speaker 2 (30:14):
What?
Speaker 1 (30:15):
What's going on? What is this? What is this?
Speaker 3 (30:17):
Like I said, he didn't say, I hope it's not life,
so he uh he leaned into it, and the laugh
from the assembled media. Boy, I tell you, it almost
looks like that video of Adam Gates or the Tacos
flying around with his eyes going like.
Speaker 1 (30:41):
Like just see him look up going what am I saying?
What am I looking at? What's happening somewhere? I mean,
we're what great is that?
Speaker 3 (30:46):
Now that's not the first question at any media availability
for Luca going forward.
Speaker 1 (30:51):
Yeah, now you can't really uh you know, now you
can't really just uh, you know, go on and answer questions. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (30:57):
For the game, he had a great answers about what
Kyrie Irving's meant to him as a teammate and mentor
and learning from him, what some of the other guys
and PJ. Washington stepping up or whatever, doesn't matter. None
of that matters. All great basketball analysis.
Speaker 1 (31:16):
Who cares? Where was whoa? Whoa?
Speaker 3 (31:20):
Whoa? Whoa? Whoa?
Speaker 1 (31:21):
Whoa whoa whoa? Is just the roast? That's a fair question.
It's not a fair question. Come on, man, go on, man,
you can't. I mean, there's so many people who have
different reasons for why this happened, and and there's and
(31:43):
just some of the stuff throwing out there because this
is just what it could be, right, we talked about
it could be could be people having sex. It could
be on somebody's computer. But here's a couple of other
things that people have seen from either people who were
there or watching the press conference, that somehow they had
something on one of their screens, what they had connected
to their bluetooth. It could have been someone who was
(32:04):
trying to record the press conference with their phone and
accidentally pressed play on a video instead of of instead
of recording openly. Could have been as well.
Speaker 3 (32:14):
Yeah, they got bored by the ok see you have
fort in the final minutes, so they decided to find
a more entertaining venture for their viewing experience.
Speaker 1 (32:23):
The NBA after Dark. Yes it is, Yes, Yeah, I'm
glad we can. We can. We can only play this
after ten o'clock. Now, Luckily it is not true. I'll
play itself, Harbor. You're gonna straight that home and listen
to it all the way home. My life doesn't suck
that much. Oh my goodness. I And really that's what
I'm waiting for someone to make the Adam Gase taco
(32:45):
thing with Luca's eyes. That's the only thing that's missing
from this story right now, it's really really quite good.
Good for Luca. You get a win and then you
get that moment of levity. Yeah. Well I don't know
how much levity that well for for those people it
was for.
Speaker 3 (32:59):
So he laughed pretty heartily. It's got nothing to do like, yeah,
he's sitting at a table. He cannot be called out
for doing or participating in anything.
Speaker 1 (33:08):
Uh. But for other people, a little bit more concentration
I think is going on. So without this audio and
this happening, we're not talking about these two teams.
Speaker 4 (33:17):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (33:17):
No, this is definitely a thing. Now, this is this
is definitely a thing. And and I really I'm waiting
for well a the taco thing. Uh, but I'm also
waiting to find hey, this is exactly what it was
or whatever whatever, because the person's not going to own
up to it. If it's something that was on their
phone or on their computer, why would you not? But
if we're all get said to adults, yeah, dude, that's embarrassing.
Speaker 3 (33:37):
Though.
Speaker 1 (33:37):
Man. I went to I went to the Luca Dodgets
press conference. And I pressed a and I pressed a
button on my phone and and and sex noises came
from it. Yeah, you're not getting credit to another game.
N You know you got you got to be a professional.
Greg Doyle catching strays right now, you got to be
(33:59):
a problem man.
Speaker 3 (33:59):
That case had happened, we know, the night would have
been a big night for him. I mean they had
they had a preseason game, and then I guess they
took fifty two minutes to come out to meet the press.
Speaker 1 (34:09):
Cravitz was not happy. It's a long time. Well, because
they were they had to count all the fouls that
were called or not called against them, because that's how
you do in Indiana. Now, is you count all the
fouls you put him towards WNBA and say, look, these
were not called for us. That's what it is. Come on,
people in India can't count that high. Oh everybody's catching
strays from Prosberg.
Speaker 2 (34:29):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern seven
pm Pacific.
Speaker 1 (34:37):
Joining us now in the hotline. Man who I am
sure had to do push ups and train like Rocky
getting ready for disappearance with us and as Fox Sports
won Insider Extraordinaire check out as on the Ball podcast,
which will be all about Jalen Brunston and the Knicks.
It is Rick Buker. Rick, what's happening? Bud Well?
Speaker 5 (34:58):
First of all, I want to apologize. I supposed to
be on with you guys a little earlier, but I
was I was too busy celebrating the nixt victory. So
I apologize.
Speaker 1 (35:09):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (35:10):
I completely understand a couple of refrains of go New York,
Go New York, go.
Speaker 5 (35:15):
Oh yeah, yeah, I actually I watched it. I watched
the game on the plane back from LA to San Francisco,
and and when I got when we got the airport,
I bought a pair of blue and orange socks.
Speaker 1 (35:35):
There we go. I knew I was going to bring
you around to round to me. Rick. I mean, now
all you have to do next is, and you're on
the Ball podcast, say Joki should do the right thing
and give the m VB Trophy to Brunson. Like when
they try to give it to him, say no, no,
this is Jalen's award. Then they fly and give it
to him instead.
Speaker 5 (35:51):
You mean he didn't do that already.
Speaker 3 (35:55):
How dare he?
Speaker 5 (35:55):
I'll dare him, what's up with that?
Speaker 3 (35:59):
I was really thinking, with those socks, Rick, you could
probably give them a couple of minutes at the three
or four because they're gonna need it.
Speaker 5 (36:08):
Well, you know it's funny because I was on with
I was on undispeeded this morning and skipped I think
he asked Byron Scott was on with us, and he asked,
what are the chances that the Tims goes to playing
his starting five all forty eight minutes? And I thought,
(36:29):
you know what, you know what he's What would really
be a TIBs move is if one of his starting
five falls out, fouls out, and he looks out of
the bench and then he goes, screw it, We're just
playing with four.
Speaker 1 (36:47):
All right, Rick, So look, let let's start here. Let's
start here with this Rick Carlisle. After the game, extreme Look,
he gets thrown out of the game, He gets upset
that an erroneous whistle was taken back and then Nick's
retained possession of the basketball. He throws the referees under
the bus, saying, small market teams deserve a chance and
we're not getting it. He's got twenty nine calls they
(37:09):
want to send to the NBA about what's been missed
the first couple of games here with the Pacers in
the Knicks. You know you've seen these first two games.
What do you make of Rick Carlisle saying.
Speaker 5 (37:19):
That, I I think he's frustrated. I do think that
the way the Knicks play invites whistles. I mean the
way that Dalen Jalen's just really good. Somebody on our staff,
(37:39):
on the speak staff, said that he's like Trey Young,
and I said, do not say that that, because I
think Trey. I think Trey does like he does extraneous things.
Jalen is just very physical and very shifty in terms
of changeing direction and and and and the way he
(38:02):
does it is a little bit different in terms of
he's and he did it, you know, down the strets.
I thought he hit a big bucket where he hit TJ.
McConnell twice and then uh, and but it was it
was it was legitimate, it was legal. Uh. And then
Scord got that little separation, scored and then somebody landed
(38:23):
on top of him and he ended up with an
an one. And you're you're watching the whole sequence, and
you're thinking, God, Jalen, Jalen just beat the stuffings out
of TJ and how and now and now is going
to the free throw line?
Speaker 1 (38:34):
Life. He took that possession personally, Rick, that was one
of those I took that McConnell jumper and him getting
in by face personally, and I'm just walling him down
the floor on that bucket.
Speaker 5 (38:44):
Yeah. Yeah, So I look, I understand I understand Rick
Rick's frustration. I can see where it comes from. But
but the truth of the matter is, and probably the
heart of it is that his guys are more finesse
players like Pasco Fiakum will will bang, but he does
(39:05):
it in trying to just he uses his length more
than his his his whip to create space. And Haliburton
is the same way. Those guys just don't attack the
paint in the same way. And so I can see
why the whistle favors New York. And I don't think
it's the big market versus small market. But look, Rick
(39:29):
smart and he's not generally not an emotional guy. What
he's doing is trying to lay the groundwork so that
they get a different whistle in in Indiana. And we'll
see ultimately if that happens or it works, but you
know the sort of it is. I don't I don't
think they've gotten I don't think Indiana has gotten an
(39:50):
egregiously bad whistle. I think they just Brunson has has
created a riddle for them that they cannot solve if
they double him. He's really getting good at getting the
ball out of his hands. And Herdenstein in particular sort
of as that swing guy at the top, that's the
guy you're gonna leave a leave alone. Well, he's done
(40:11):
a good job of swinging it quickly and finding the
Vincenzo or one of the other open shooters. And they've
knocked down the shots. And and if they don't double him,
and Brunston is just really good at getting his own
shot contested or otherwise. And I mean, that's the shots
that he made down the stretch, considering looked like he
was playing on a bad foot, looked like he was exhausted.
(40:32):
I don't, I don't have words for watching Brunton is
giving us a Jordan like performance, and he is in
no way physically like Michael Jordan's and yet kind of
getting to the same spot degree of difficulty is much greater,
and and and just hitting every clutch shot that they need.
(40:53):
I it's it's astounding because I still I look at
him and I'm like, how is he doing this? Over
and over and over again. He looks like he's playing
on one leg. He looks like he's exhausted, and yet
and looks like he's got a hand in his space
and he drills every shot necessary. It has just been
(41:14):
a remarkable performance. You know, My only question is can
he'd do it two more times with you know, with
with the diminishing crew around him, that is going to
be the biggest question.
Speaker 3 (41:27):
Well, now you're missing Og indefinitely. I mean, the Pacers
did give up fifty shooting to the Nicks. One of
the things we banged down a bunch. But Jason and
I were talking about this before Rick the substitutions in
the fourth court. Rick Carlisle probably kicking himself too, that
McConnell and top and didn't see a lot of action
down the stretch as effective as they'd been.
Speaker 5 (41:49):
Yeah, well it's a tricky I don't know. I haven't
seen them play McConnell and Haliburton a whole lot together,
and so yeah, I mean maybe maybe he could. Maybe
we'll see, we'll see a change there again. I just
(42:10):
there was there's There was once or twice where I
thought Halliburton needed to needed to go to the cup
and try to score. Instead, he tried to swing it
out and it either ended up they didn't get a
shot or it was a turnover. And and those little
moments where he's not as aggressive as Brunson is really
(42:30):
has been the different I thought Brunton was. I thought
Halliburton was so much better than one of us was
obviously in game one. But I think that he has
to be even more aggressive, particularly with now with og
out of there. I mean, you only have Hertenstein to
defend the rim. If Halliburton is really attacking strong, scoring
(42:53):
and and and attacking the rim, then I think it's
going to open up more for the other guys. And
they just he did more of it this game. I
think it has to go to yet another level if
they're gonna combat with Jalen Brunson is doing.
Speaker 1 (43:06):
Look, it's gonna be fine, Rick because Greg Anthony will
play some more minutes in game five. Bernard King will
play some more minutes in game five. It's it's gonna
be fine, Rick, It's gonna be in the suit. We're good.
Speaker 5 (43:18):
I think I think Don Starks is ready to turn
his hash backward and get out there and let a
couple fly.
Speaker 1 (43:26):
Rick Buger with us Fox Sports one NBA inside of
the Jason Smith Show with Mike Carmon live from the
tirec dot Com Studios. You know we said this last
night and I and you know you mentioned Jordan, and
I feel like when when I when I sit here
and look at the two best players in the playoffs
so far, I don't think I don't think I'm stretching
it by saying it's been Jalen Brunson and Anthony Edwards, Right,
(43:46):
those are probably been the two best players in the
playoffs so far, and yet we see Edwards all the
time gets pushed, Hey, he's the next Jordan, He's this,
he's that. And I feel like the reason Brunson doesn't
get the run is because he doesn't give you that
I don't know that he can dunk, right, he gives
you you know, he's a he's a He's one of
the smartest players in the league, probably one of the
(44:07):
top three smartest players in the league. Being able to
do what he can, and that's the brilliance of his
game and hitting the big shots. It's not up and
down and making a big three over two guys, or
or fighting a way to the rim and fight. We
just don't. We just don't see. It's easy to see
the brilliance for Anthony Edwards because physically he's that guy,
but for Brunson it's kind of harder. I wonder if
that's why it's taken so long for people to come
(44:29):
around to the fact that hey, you know, hey, this
Jalen Brunson's a bleeping superstar. Yeah.
Speaker 5 (44:34):
I mean, honestly, I think I think in some ways
I could make a case that what Jalen has done
and is doing is more Jordan Like than what Anthony
Edwards does. But the comparison and nobody should compare. It
should be compared to Jordan's because, as Michael did, some
of what Anthony Edwards is doing and some of what
(44:55):
Jalen Brunson is doing, and then doing a few other
things that neither one of those guys do, And so
I just I think the I think the Anthony Edwards
to Michael Jordan's. My problem is people don't go like
they're they're saying he's the next Jordan, or he does
what does he do like Jordan's He's got it like
a turnaround jumper, like Jordan. He's got the athletic ability
(45:16):
to crush it on the rim and go buy somebody
and and dunk it. But he doesn't manage to gain
like Michael did. Like Michael was a maestro. He controlled
everything when he was on the floor. Uh and and
is in no way there yet Now he's only twenty two.
(45:37):
But I made this. I made this comparison, like everybody's like, well,
what was Michael doing at twenty two? Michael Michael was
barely into the league at age twenty two because of
the time that he spent in North Carolina. If you compare,
this will tell you how far Aunt has to go
before he gets to Michael Jordan's status. This is Aunt's
(45:59):
fourth year in the league. He was not I didn't
check the ballot, but my guess is like he wasn't
in the top five in MVP voting. I know he
wasn't on my ballot. And people are gonna some people
have just watched him during the playoffs are going to
wonder how that is look, he wasn't. He wasn't an
m v P. During the season, he was a really
(46:19):
good player. He wasn't wasn't m v P. And that
he's a little bit like Jason Tatum for me, and
he's he's the best player, the most talented player on
a really really, really good team, but not everything goes
through him. So that that that ants fourth fourth year,
he was an All Star on one of the best
(46:41):
teams in the Western Conference. Michael Jordan in his fourth
year was League MVP, was the Defensive Player of the Year,
was winning his second consecutive scoring title, was All First
Team Defense and and All NBA First Team, and he
(47:01):
took a Chicago Bulls team that had Charles Oakley and
Brad Cellars as the two other maybe the next best
players on the team to the second round of the playoffs.
What ann has done this so far is really great.
(47:22):
But if we're talking about what two guys have done
in their fourth year in the league, which I think
is the most fair comparison, there is no comparison to that.
Speaker 3 (47:30):
End Rick and obviously some good Bulls history. When you
get Brad Cellars into thingssine no corsine. The legend of
Dave Corsine. Absolutely, there you go as we go through it.
I mean, how does Denver get up off the mat?
Can they?
Speaker 1 (47:50):
You know?
Speaker 5 (47:50):
I'm I'm really baffled by Denver. I'll be honest, Like
I thought that's the way they played against the Lakers
was out of boredom, not out of it's physical or
mental fatigue, because they just looked like they were sleeping,
asleepwalking most of the time. I haven't seen them play
with the Christmas, Christmas and energy of last year's championship teams.
(48:13):
I don't know. I mean I've seen it here and there,
but only enough to eke out those wins against the Lakers.
And after they lost Game four, I expected to see
it in Game five. I was like, Okay, you know what,
They've beaten the team so many times, they feel like
we don't have to take them seriously until the fourth
quarter and then we'll close them out. And they did
(48:35):
that what twelve times? And then they lose one. I'm like, okay,
Game five, they're at home, they're gonna let they're gonna
remind everybody. Yeah, you know what, we flipped up. We
lost one. We're gonna remind you of just how good
we are, and they were. They were basically the same team,
and they've basically been that team against Minnesota and they've
had it handed to them because Minnesota is just that
much better than the Lakers. So I'm not talking around
(48:59):
your question, am I. How they get off the mat
is they show me some semblance of the team that
won a championship last year, which means they're going to
be aggressive offensively and defensively. Jokic reason he was my
MVP was because when he had a guy like Noz Reid,
he didn't wait a round for the double team. He
(49:19):
put nos Reed underneath the basket and and and was
putting it in the hoop until they brought somebody quicker
or put somebody bigger on him, and then he would
then he would he would spray it around there. They're
cuts off the ball are not sharp. They seem to
be disconnected and misreading each other. And then Jamal Murray
(49:43):
in the series in particular, has decided like, no, I
need to prove that I can score on Jayden Daniels
and and Anthony Edwards. And I'm like, dude, why why
are you attempting to do this? That's not when what
you guys are at your best, it's you making a
decision getting the ball to Jokis if you have a
bad matchup playing off of him, running off the ball,
(50:05):
getting it and then taking a shot, not trying to
prove that you can go one on one against these guys,
because those are two really good defenders that have greater
size on you, and you're not scoring at a consistent
in a consistent way with those matchups. So I just
I'm really baffled, like what do they have to do
to get off the mat? They need to be the
(50:26):
Denver nugget. I really haven't seen the team that I
came to respect and admire in the way they played
last year. I've only seen glimpses of that team to
this point, and I think if they are what they
were last year, and I think they can be that
Minnesota is really good on the ball, descending one on one,
(50:48):
great descendants. The way you can loosen that up is
if you're making them move and rotate, and they've got
to read and react. Carl Anthony Edwards has got to
chase Carl and Anthony Towns have to rotate. Now you're
going to get some opportunities so they just they need
back to playing Denver Nuggets basketball, and maybe that maybe
(51:08):
they can't. Maybe maybe the mental and physical fatigue of
having won a championship and then battling it out with
Minnesota and Oklahoma City for the best record in the
Western Conference. You know, maybe that lost to San Antonio
where they could have, uh, they could have zipped it up.
Maybe that was a sign of things that this team
(51:29):
just doesn't have as much in the tank as we
thought that they did.
Speaker 1 (51:35):
He's on Twitter at Rick Buker, that is at Rick Buker.
Check out on the Ball podcast, which would be all
about Josh Hart. Can he play every minute of every
game the rest of the year, Rick, as always, Buddy,
appreciate it man Nick Show, Talk to.
Speaker 5 (51:49):
You soon, Amstrings Joe see Rick.
Speaker 3 (51:53):
Thanks
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